At a forum jointly held by the Ho Chi Minh City branch of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI-HCM) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on October 27, VCCI-HCM Director Vo Tan Thanh said that labour productivity is an important factor to improve competitiveness so as to join effectively the global supply chain.
Increasing productivity is also a solution to improve incomes and working conditions for labourers, he noted.
VCCI-HCM Director Thanh stressed that as Vietnam is integrating deeply into the world’s economy, it is a must for enterprises to apply various measures to meet the demands of customers, thus, they can hold stable shares in the domestic market and gain a firm foothold in foreign countries.
ILO Vietnam Director Chang Hee Lee said that labourers play an important role when deciding productivity and quality of products. For that reason, SMEs need to encourage the involvement of workers in technical improvement programmes while bettering the working environment for their labourers.
SMEs can start from dialogues to share information and expectations between managers and workers, he said, adding that businesses should pay due attention to carrying out quality management progresses such as the “5S model” (seiri-tidiness, seiton- orderliness, seiso-cleanliness, seiketsu-standardisation and shitsuke-discipline) or ISO quality management system.
Technological innovation for green production and business culture are also important to labour productivity as well, he said.
Meanwhile, Brian Mtonya, an economic expert from the World Bank, stressed that businesses should pay heed to product research, designing and marketing which are touted as decisive factors for products’ competitiveness edge.
